Preamble

This “Highlights and Key Messages” document, a distillation of the material contained in the Canadian Smog Science Assessment, was co-authored by Environment Canada and Health Canada and presents a summary of the Assessment’s key findings1. This initiative is the most recent effort2 by the Government of Canada to assess the adverse effects of smog on Canadians and their environment, quantify emissions of smog-forming pollutants, describe their behaviour in the atmosphere at a regional scale, and report on recent and projected levels of smog in the air we breathe. It represents the first time all the scientific material related to smog in Canada has been addressed together, combining characterization of both particulate matter and ground-level ozone in a single document.

This summary document is intended to provide credible and relevant scientific information to guide current policy and regulatory decision-making in Canada. With this purpose in mind, the document has been arranged in a logical manner to inform risk management decision-making.

Federal-Provincial Working Group on Air Quality Objectives and Guidelines, 1999. National ambient air quality objectives for ground-level ozone: Science assessment document. Health Canada and Environment Canada, Ottawa.

Federal-Provincial Working Group on Air Quality Objectives and Guidelines, 1999. National ambient air quality objectives for particulate matter, Part 1: Science assessment document. Health Canada and Environment Canada, Ottawa.

Joint Action Implementation Coordinating Committee, 2005. An Update in Support of the Canada-wide Standards for Particulate Matter and Ozone: Part A – 2003 science review. Report to the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment [Available at www.ccme.ca].